Taiwan News Quick Take

Staff writer, with agencies

SOCIETY

‘Dog ambassador’ wanted

Non-profit group Animal Rescue Team Taiwan said on Monday it needs help delivering a former stray dog to its new home in Vancouver, Canada. The young dog named Fico was rescued by the team from Taiwan Power Co’s Taichung Thermal Power Plant late last year. At the time, Fico was seriously ill with a skin infection, the team said, adding that the dog has recovered after more than four months of care. Through the group’s efforts, a dog lover in Vancouver has agreed to adopt Fico, but the team said it is having trouble finding someone to take the dog to its new home. The group posted an emergency notice on its Facebook page yesterday seeking a “dog ambassador.” The team said it would pay the air cargo cost of slightly more than NT$10,000 (US$340) and provide all necessary documents, including quarantine papers.

SOCIETY

Evergreen donates US$10m

Chang Yung-fa (張榮發), the founder of Evergreen Group, donated US$10 million to China’s Sichuan Province on Saturday to support relief efforts following a deadly earthquake. A donation ceremony was held at the Sichuan Taiwan Affairs Office on Saturday. Chang urged the public to help quake victims rebuild their homes and asked that a concert, scheduled for May 7 at Peking University, be turned into a charity event, according to a statement released by the group on Saturday. Students from the province will read memorial verses at the concert, the statement added. The magnitude 6.6 earthquake, which struck Yaan City on April 20, left 196 people dead, 21 missing and 13,484 injured, official figures showed. Chang also donated US$10 million to relief efforts following a devastating earthquake in Sichuan in 2008, which killed about 70,000 people.